English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [phonetics]

For questions about the sounds that make up the English language. If your question is about how to pronounce a certain word, use the [pronunciation] tag instead.

For questions about the sounds of spoken language (English). How to articulate a consonant cluster or a vowel sound that is unfamiliar to you. How they are articulated in the mouth. What organs are involved etc. If your question is about how to pronounce a certain word, use the tag instead.

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What exactly is a long vowel sound?

I am having a hard time grasping the definition of the term 'long vowel sounds', a long vowel sound is defined as a sound with the same pronunciation as its letter. The long vowel a, e, i, o sounds all follow this definition, while the long vowel u…
Devin Johw
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Why are a few letters named nothing related to how it is pronounced?

Why are the names of these letters so different from how they are actually used in words ? 1. F - there are no words that start with an "F" that use the pronunciation "ɛf". 2. L - there are no words that start with an "L" that use the pronunciation…
Varun Nair
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What kind of "a"-sound does IPA aɪ depict?

From what I know of English phonetics, in RP there're 3 similar monophthongs (that my Russian ear associates with the same Russian letter, "а"): ʌ, ɑ, æ. So far I've learned to more or less be able to distinguish them. But there's yet another IPA…
Ruslan
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Syllable division

I read on the inernet that: A word of ONE phonetic syllable, a word of less than FIVE letters cannot be divided into syllabographgs, e.g. piece [p/i:s], time [tai/m]. Source: http://studopedia.net/10_45843_Lecture-.html So, am I right to think…
user11312
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Is there a difference between the pronunciation in UK and the US for words with the same phonemes?

The word "run" has the same phonemes in the UK and US, but, when I heard their pronunciations from Cambridge Dictionary, I heard a great difference between both of them. I want to know: Do they have the same sounds? Why do I hear something…
lcjury
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Standardized Way of Phonetic Acqusition

I want to start from the most fundamental and hard problem to me (and maybe to everyone). Two years ago, I had started a project to teach English to non-natives in English only. Before lots of them had suffered from an ill-linked relationship…
Beverlie
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Why does the schwa sounds like an 'e' in some words?

I've noticed that in some words the schwa sounds more like an 'e' and not 'ə', for exmaple: environment(.mənt), is with a schwa, but sounds like 'e'. Also in a word like 'substance'(.stəns) doesn't sound like it has a schwa but it has.
artde
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why the word "ergative" sounds like /ˈɜːrgetɪv/ but it's phonetic symbol is /ˈɜːrɡətɪv/?

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ergative?q=ergative the pronunciation of "ergative" in link sounds like /ˈɜːrgetɪv/ while it's phonetic symbol is /ˈɜːrɡətɪv/. the phonetic symbol e and ə are different i think. but all…
Tim
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How we should pronounce /ɔː/ phonetician in American English?

I have no problem with its pronunciation in British English, but in American English, yes. Do it have a sound like /əʊ/ as in 'go' or /ɒ/ as in 'got'? And I know that /ɔː/ and /əʊ/ aren't pronounced exactly like each other, and /ɔː/ and /ɒ/, but I…
user10854
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Why can't we pronounce /b/ in 'climb' /mb/, while /p/ in 'limp' /mp/ can be pronounced?

I think it based on voicing and place of articulation. However, i'm not sure if the 'place of articulation' is correct since /m/,/p/,/b/ are all bilabial.
Emerald Ngo
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Are the phonemes [i] and [i:] "allophones" of the phoneme [ɪ] in General American?

Are the phonemes [i] and [iː] "allophones" of the phoneme [ɪ] in General American? Why does the phoneme [ɪ] sound like [i] or [iː] in some words? Example words: it x sink. The phoneme [ɪ] sounds different in these words.
Aelson
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An easy to way improve my phonetic knowledge?

This question might sound a little silly but is there an easy way out to improve my phonetic knowledge? Do I have to learn every single word in phonetics? Because It's been a couple of months and I still am not where I want to be. I understand and…
Cenkay V.
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The Difference between "əʊ" and "ə"

about coat So, "-əʊ" (The Diphthong) sounds like "-oʊ" in American English, yet "-ə" sounds very far from "ɔː" or "ɒ" "-əʊ" has nothing to do with schwa?
Cenkay V.
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What are the subtle differences between all these phonemes regarding the letter or sound "a"?

I'm a Spanish native speaker and to me, all these phonemes sound quite similar. What are the little details that make these sounds different?
Adrián Jaramillo
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Is the '/r/' sound 'alveolar' or 'palatal' or 'retroflex'?

In phonetic classification, Is the '/r/' sound 'alveolar' or 'palatal' or 'retroflex'?
BigSilver
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